But this time, he came out having taken off his top as well, wearing only his underwear, so Geun-yeong had to lower his head again just after raising it.
Regardless. The man, wearing only one piece of underwear, very nonchalantly entered the bedroom.
Although the man had gone into the room, Geun-yeong, who still couldn’t raise his head, thought about the body that had been imprinted, no, embedded in his mind.
The black dragon he had only heard about was much larger, darker, and more dynamic than he had thought. Whether it was because it was scary or for some other reason, Geun-yeong’s heart pounded heavily for a while.
And as time passed, the vividly animated image of the dragon that seemed about to breathe fire gradually became smaller. The space created as the dragon that had filled Geun-yeong’s mind became smaller, began to be filled with broad, angular shoulders, firm arms, and a wide chest.
When the man who had entered the room didn’t come out for a while, Geun-yeong, who had been watching cautiously, opened his bag and took out the clothes he had brought. They were comfortable clothes he had brought to wear whenever he needed to sleep somewhere. Of course, when he packed clothes thinking about “when he would sleep,” he really never dreamed he would be sleeping in this man’s house. He had thought he would be sleeping in accommodation like a motel. Geun-yeong was now realizing the truth of the saying that one cannot know what will happen even a step ahead.
But, just at the moment when Geun-yeong was taking clothes out of his bag, the man, who had changed into comfortable clothes and come out of the room, snorted, saying, “You really packed a lot.”
Geun-yeong thought about whether to argue that this much wasn’t really “a lot,” but in the end, he missed the appropriate timing for a response. The man, who had been watching Geun-yeong awkwardly sitting and just fiddling with his clothes, said, “Wash up. We’re sleeping.”
And then went back into the room.
The man who was only named “Kyung Jiho” lived up to his appearance. True to his fierce look, he was neither affectionate nor kind.
From the beginning, Geun-yeong hadn’t expected the man to give up his bed for him. That’s why he wasn’t disappointed at all when the man casually tossed two blankets onto the not-so-spacious area beside the bed and then sprawled out on the bed himself. Rather, it seemed strange that he was told to sleep in the bedroom instead of the living room, and somehow he felt apologetic and deeply grateful.
Wondering if he could really sleep here, Geun-yeong spread out the larger of the two bundled piles on the floor. He retrieved the pillow that had bounced off and gotten stuck in the corner between the wardrobe and the bed when the man carelessly tossed it, placed it in an appropriate spot, and lay down with his head on it. Then he carefully unfolded the smaller bundle so as not to raise dust and pulled it over himself.
“Turn off the light.”
Geun-yeong, who had just settled into his makeshift bed, had to jump up again and practically run to turn off the light.
After turning off the light and returning, Geun-yeong, whose blanket had gotten crumpled when he abruptly stood up, gently spread it out again, gathered it around himself, and lay down.
He tried closing his eyes. But forcing them shut made the muscles around his eyes tremble with tension, so he had to open them again.
Naturally, sleep wouldn’t come. So he looked around the room with eyes that had grown more accustomed to the darkness than when the lights were first turned off. Worried that the sound of his hair rubbing against the pillow might disturb the man’s sleep, he rolled just his eyes without turning his head.
In the room, there was the blanket chest from which his current bedding had come, and next to it, what appeared to be a wardrobe. Then there was the large-sized bed that fit the man’s body. Beside the bed was a large window, and beyond that window was the veranda connected to the living room.
After looking around once, his exploration was complete. Geun-yeong now smelled the blanket he had pulled up to his nose. As expected, it wasn’t a pleasant smell. Above all, it was the smell of someone other than the man.
He silently lowered the blanket he had pulled up to his nose. It seemed to be the blanket the man lent to people like the one who called him “hyungnim” when they came to stay for a night or two.
He glanced up at the bed. The man’s fingers, which were long like his legs and arms, extended beyond the edge of the bed. Since his legs were long, his arms were long too, and so were his fingers. It would be strange if only his fingers were short when everything else was long, so naturally, they weren’t. The man’s hands were very large and long.
He had been staring at those hands for quite some time when they disappeared with the sound of movement. The man must have pulled them back.
He was disappointed that his point of interest had vanished. And he was curious about where those hands had gone. Had he folded them over his chest? Or raised them above his head? Or perhaps tucked them under his head or pillow? It was something he could have settled by simply getting up to look, but instead, he spent quite a while imagining and picturing it in his mind to pass the time.
Though he spent time imagining where and how the man’s hands might be positioned, sleep still wouldn’t come. He hadn’t slept for about two days due to his worries about leaving home. He had barely slept for two consecutive nights with all his thoughts about school issues and insulin prescription problems. Despite this, his mind was clear. Sleep wouldn’t come easily.
Haah…
Geun-yeong sighed silently. Although the blanket spread on the floor wasn’t particularly thin, his shoulder blades still felt the hardness. It was uncomfortable. He worried whether he could sleep well.
Still, it was much better than being in a motel where there would have been a bed. It was much, much more reassuring, incomparably so.
Nevertheless, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep tonight. It wasn’t because of his uncomfortable back. It was his mood. This new beginning made him excited, nervous, and also afraid. So it really didn’t seem like sleep would come.
* * *
…
“…id.”
Id?
“Kid.”
Kid…
“Wow. This bastard’s ecological adaptability is like a mudskipper’s.”
Mudskipper…?
“He wouldn’t starve no matter where you throw him.”
Shouldn’t skip meals…
Huh? Meals?
Sensing something odd, he opened his eyes to find it was broad daylight. Before straightening his head, which was bent under the pillow, he rolled his eyes upward to look.
“Ha!”
Startled by the man looking down at him from what seemed like ceiling height, Geun-yeong bolted upright and knelt. Into the ears of Geun-yeong, who was kneeling and bowing his head, flowed a laugh that felt like it was tickling his ear canal, followed by a muttered, “Why do you keep kneeling?” Then the man said:
“I need to go out.”
Feeling somewhat disappointed, Geun-yeong raised his bowed head sharply and asked:
“Already?”
“What do you mean ‘already’? It’s almost noon. Didn’t you say you shouldn’t skip meals? Is it okay for you to keep sleeping like this?”
Geun-yeong looked around in all directions. No matter where he looked, he couldn’t find a clock.
“The kid thinks I’m lying. Look.”
The man lowered and bent his hand to show his wristwatch to Geun-yeong’s eyes. Without realizing it, Geun-yeong first noticed the tendons bulging on the back of the man’s hand. Unconsciously swallowing, he rolled his eyes to look at the watch. 11 o’clock. The man’s claim that it was almost noon was true.
“Oh… it really is…”
“I told you so.”
The man, who had folded his arms after lowering his hand from showing the watch, mocked with a face tinged with amusement:
“For someone who obediently gets into any car he’s told to and sleeps for 12 hours anywhere, pretending not to trust people doesn’t make you seem realistic at all, so get up quickly. Eat. Your rice from yesterday is still in the rice cooker.”
Ah… the rice…
Geun-yeong remembered the ridiculous rice he had made and felt embarrassed. With his face likely reddened, he lowered it slightly and asked:
“Have you… eaten?”
“I don’t usually eat breakfast.”
“Skipping breakfast is bad for your… health.”
He had just said this to a man who had been stabbed in a fight and had his stomach punctured. Above all, it wasn’t something that should be said by someone who hadn’t eaten breakfast either and had slept until 11. Geun-yeong wanted to take back his words. Not knowing that even this thought was completely written on his face, he first apologized.
“I’m sorry…”
“That’s fine. I’m leaving.”
Perhaps thanks to his quick apology, the man, who didn’t seem particularly angry, swiftly turned and left the room.
Geun-yeong, thinking he wanted to sew his mouth shut for constantly saying nonsense, got up and followed the man. It was already too late to get up early and prepare breakfast for him, but he at least wanted to see him off as he left.
So Geun-yeong stood respectfully behind the man, who was already down at the entrance putting on his sneakers, bent over to pull out the crumpled heel. Kyung Jiho, turning his head slightly, looked at the guy standing with his hands clasped behind his back and asked:
“What?”
“I wanted to… say goodbye.”
“Have a safe trip…” Those words just rolled around in his mouth. It would have been better if they had stayed in his mouth, but they leaked out bit by bit, and hearing those words, the man said:
“This is driving me crazy.”
He openly expressed his feeling of being driven crazy.
Geun-yeong, feeling apologetic for making the man feel that way, bowed his head.
“What are you going to do today?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
